AU RenRuki Drabble Dump
by crazy alligator
Summary: Self-explanatory. A collection to amuse me in between my other stories. All drabbles, all RenRuki, all AU, all the time. Drabbles are unrelated, but some may get continuations. Drabble#9: Together for Once.
1. Assassin

Collection of totally unrelated AU RenRuki drabbles to amuse me in between my other stories. Enjoy.

Assassin

She gripped the gun tightly in her right hand, the left one, at the moment, bandaged and useless. Thank god that the one she could coordinate better was left in tact. Rukia leaned herself in closer to the low window, right arm stretching across her sitting body so she could stay flat against the wall. The perfectly-positioned mirror on the wall across from her showed her the reflection of the slowly-moving limousine outside that was surrounded by armed guards, the very man she was targeting sticking his head out of the sunroof. The mirror allowed her to aim without giving up her cover. Rukia peeked the barrel of the handgun out of the window, moving her finger in front of the trigger.

"Don't, Rukia." Immediately, she knew it was him. He was the only one that knew her well enough to decode her secret plan. So as not to lose her aim, she didn't move her head in the slightest, instead able to catch a glimpse of his arm leaning against the doorway in the mirror. Rukia's eyes narrowed, the tears which she had pushed back threatening to reemerge.

"You know that I don't want to," she replied, tightening her grip on the firearm. "But I have to do it. He tried to kill you, Renji. Tried to kill _me_." To emphasize the point, she held up her currently-ruined hand for him to see. "You know I love him, but...I won't lose you." She was completely serious, he could tell, even though her voice was on the verge of cracking terribly. She heard him sigh.

"...I understand," said the redhead. He still didn't want her to go through with this, but...she was Rukia, and when the situation became critical, she would rather hurt someone close to her than let someone else just as close(if not closer)be hurt because of her. Regardless of what he thought, he respected her wishes, knowing that her decisions were not simply fickle and rashly-made. This was what she truly wanted, deep down in her heart, even though it was obviously killing her inside.

"Thank you..." she whispered, feeling her heart clench at the fact that he was able to truly understand and respect her decisions, even if they sometimes seemed rash. She refocused her attention on the task at hand, and just before she placed enough weight on the trigger to make the gun shoot, she said softly, "I'm sorry, brother..." The screams and panic outside were enough to tell her that she had succeeded. Renji hurried over to gather her up and depart before they were caught, and finally, finally, she let the tears fall.

END

Tite Kubo owns Bleach. Comments are appreciated and loved.


	2. Professor

Professor

"Now, in addition to coining words such as commonty, abrook, and hurlyburly, Shakespeare also-" there it was again. An annoying flicker of light in the corner of Renji's eyes that made him wince from the brightness of it. He coughed to mask the reaction, even though he knew his brain-dead class was past the point of caring, what with their heads propped on their hands, and their tired, bored expressions.

"S-Sorry, class, I had a little cough there. Anyhow, Shakespeare also introduced phrases such as 'beast with two backs', and 'star-crossed' to the English language-" and again, it happened. He tried to subtly glare at the perpetrator, the small raven-haired girl in the back who wore a self-satisfied smirk due to her success, obviously trying to hold back chuckles caused by his irritated expression. He took a deep breath to calm himself, before stating, "Miss Kuchiki, I want to talk to you in the hall." And, still flashing that grin, she stood, turning with a flick of her whole body, and departed promptly. "Class, please study what I've written here on the whiteboard." And with those words, he followed suit.

"You're a senior, right?" asked Renji, as soon as the door closed on them both. He took her absence of denial as a yes. "Aren't you a little old to be taking this class?" Her eyes narrowed at that, her smile turning downwards into a scowl as she glared at him.

"For your information, _Professor _Abarai, this class was added as a requirement for my major last year, and that just _happened _to be the same year that the idiots who run this college screwed up my class schedule, so _now _I'm stuck with a bunch of underclassmen in a class that I _should've_ taken with my friends last year." Before Renji could retort, she continued, "And, while we're on the subject of age, you look a little young to be teaching a college course." Renji practically growled, before answering,

"Well, for _your _information, _Miss _Kuchiki, I happen to be a dirt-poor freshman in graduate school, and I don't quite feel like paying off student loans for the rest of my life. If you haven't _noticed_, this college gives graduate students temp jobs teaching small, low-level classes"-which this one was, it was a 15-person class titled 'Shakespearean influences on the modern English language'-"to help them out financially, and to save money. I'll probably be teaching an entirely _different _class next semester, and someone else will probably be teaching this one." At his statement, Rukia's smirk renewed itself, turning almost seductive.

"I knew you were too cute to be in your 30's," she snickered, stuffing a hand in her pocket in hopes to retrieve something. Renji's expression turned dumbfounded, and he felt himself blushing slightly at her flattering words.

"Huh...?" he asked, wondering what the in the hell she was hinting at. Rukia simply shook her head and laughed some more, and then pulled a folded-up slip of paper out of her pocket.

"I was right," she said simply, almost to herself. "You're only about a year older than me-I knew it. And you're not even close to being a permanent professor-heck, you're not even that, you're just like a long-term substitute teacher! It means that I can do _this _without creating a scandal." And she placed the slip of paper in his hand, walking towards the door of the classroom to rejoin the other students. "Feel free to call me some time, _Renji_." And with that, she flashed him a playful wink, before disappearing behind the wooden door. All Renji could do was stare at the spot she had been, swallowing as he felt a deeper shade of blush rising up his cheeks.

Well...it seemed as if he had quelled a troublemaker _and _gotten a date out of it...

END

*snickers* So much fun to write :) Tite Kubo owns Bleach. Comments are appreciated and loved.


	3. Cutting

Greetings :) This one's a little long for a drabble, but I hope you enjoy.

Cutting

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice rung loud and clear through the otherwise empty halls, and she turned to face his tall form, smirking with that devious glint of mischief in her eyes. He was trying to be authoritative, but she wasn't buying it.

"Where do you think?" she asked, as if the answer was plainly obvious. All the time that smug expression never left her face, and it angered him all the more.

"You're cutting class," he replied, refusing to acknowledge her statement. Her grin widened, and she nodded, removing her backpack and setting it on the ground.

"So?" she asked, treating the matter like it was a perfectly normal thing, an everyday activity that all people partook in. "You know I wouldn't miss that book signing for my life." The book signing she spoke of was downtown, about a 30 minute drive from the school. What with the inevitably long line, both knew that she wouldn't make it back in time to even make it to last period. It didn't even make sense, why she was doing this...she had made it very clear, on several occasions, how much she loathed the book series in question. Before he could speak again, she continued, "And why are you in the halls yourself, _Abarai-senpai_?" She was calling him that again, dammit!

"I _happen _to have a pass, Rukia," explained the redhead. "I had to stay a few minutes after math class." She was so damn irritating sometimes that he wondered why he loved her so much.

"Oh, really?" asked the girl, substituting her normal, harsh voice for her sweet, high-pitched one. "Mr. Straight-A's has to stay after class? I think you're losing your edge, Renji." She stuck her tongue out at him, and said man swore that he might kill her in a couple seconds.

"Stop changing the subject, Rukia," he growled, knowing that she was just stirring him up as a distraction from the real point. "It's just a stupid book signing. Now go to class, before it gets so late that the teacher refuses to let you in." At the words 'just a book signing', Rukia's eyebrows raised, before lowering again as she put on a devious smile.

"Oh really? Just a book signing? The how come on our last _study _date"-they called them that to convince their parents otherwise, even though not much _studying _actually went on-"I found this?" And, out of backpack, she pulled out a book. _His _book, to be exact-the very one whose author happened to be signing it downtown today, and which he _thought _he had lost three days ago-accompanied by a flyer for the event. He wouldn't let her _know _that it was his, though.

"My mom reads the series," lied Renji, a slight tint of pink gracing his cheeks due to the series the book was a part of. "You probably just found that on the living room table." Rukia laughed quickly, sharply-a mocking noise, and then shook her head at his futile attempts.

"Oh, _really_?" she asked, sarcastically. "Then, how come I found these in your nightstand drawer?" Shit. The blush on his face intensified, and his eye twitched in anger, lips curling into a vicious scowl.

"Give it back, Rukia," he hissed, holding out his hand even though they were too far apart to engage in contact. "Give it back, now. I've told you a thousand times to stop going through my stuff when you're over." For a minute, said girl played dumb, putting a finger to her chin as she looked up at the ceiling innocently.

"Oh, I don't know if I can do that," she said, once again implementing her 'acting' voice, as she called it. "I mean, _maybe_ I can..."-her smirk renewed itself-"...if you come with me." Renji's jaw almost hit the floor. If he went, then he wouldn't be able to justify stopping her without becoming a hypocrite. "You _know _you want to," continued the tiny woman. It was true, he _did _want to go...but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of a victory. Renji growled once more.

"No," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're not going to get yourself into trouble over something so stupid. I can always buy myself another one." He smirked triumphantly, believing he had gotten the upper hand, but being so, so mistaken at the same time. Rukia burst out into laughs at his behavior, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she scolded, when her giggles had died down. "Don't you ever learn, Renji?" She returned the book and flyer to their places in her backpack, before hefting the object up on one shoulder and walking away from him. "If that's your plan, then you'll have to figure out a way to buy your teammates on the football team new memories, too." At that, Renji froze, his blood running cold.

"Wh...what?" he demanded angrily. Another evil chuckle from Rukia, and then she turned her head over her shoulder to look at him..

"Well, regardless of whether you buy another copy, I'm not sure that your buddies are ever going to see you the same again when I tell them about your secret obsession with Twilight." It was obvious, now, that her previous offer was once again back on the table, and at this point, Renji knew that taking it was his only option. Sighing, he trudged up beside her, extremely angry even though he recognized her motives were pure. He had _wanted_ to go, and she had _known_ that he had wanted to, but that he _didn't_ want to cut class, and so _she_ had implemented her sneaky tactics, all to make _him_ indirectly happy. The redhead couldn't help but internally smile.

It truly was amazing, the fact that she could fill his heart with love and make its blood boil heatedly at the same time.

END

lolz XD Brownie points if you agree that making fun of Twilight=win. Bleach owns Tite Kubo, Stephanie Myers owns Twilight, and all comments are appreciated and loved.


	4. Babysitting

Takes place when R & R are in high school. Enjoy!

Babysitting

"You're doing what?" Renji nearly exploded, as his girlfriend informed him of the situation over the phone.

"I told you, I'm babysitting your brother tonight. And, I'll be there in about-" she paused, to take a glance at the clock on her nightstand, "-half an hour." She smirked to herself, rolling over onto her stomach, laying on her soft bed as she cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder.

"How come you didn't tell me about it?" he demanded, wanting to know why keeping that kind of secret from him would be necessary.

"Well, I didn't want you to blow it. And, I told your mom that you knew already, so there was no need for her to mention it to you." On the other end, Renji's eyebrows furrowed.

"'Blow' what?" he asked, having no idea what she was referring to. The small girl grinned once more, though he couldn't see it.

"Well, instead of going out to a random party at your buddy's house-" she paused, for emphasis, her voice then turning suggestive, "-I say you drive around the neighborhood until your mom's gone, and then, once you get back...well, I think you know the rest." Renji turned bright red, his hairline becoming less visible, before a thought struck him.

"What about my brother?" he asked, knowing that they couldn't really get up to anything when he was around.

"I'll bribe him with candy," explained Rukia, telling the redhead that she had planned the sequence out. "It knocks out two birds with one stone. He'll tell your mom that he and I had a wonderful evening full of board games and educational television, and after the inevitable sugar rush, he'll crash. In conclusion, we'll have three, maybe even four hours _all _to ourselves." Renji was smiling like a fool, excited for this plan, and fully prepared to go along with it.

"When do I leave?"

END

^^ So fun to write. Tite Kubo owns Bleach, and all comments are appreciated and loved.


	5. Airplane

In this one, Renji and Rukia are as old as they were when they met in canon. Enjoy!

Airplane

"I told you, it won't fly!" protested the young girl with jet black hair. "You folded the wings too far in! It can't glide right!" The young boy in front of her kept stomping ahead, ignoring her complaints. His paper airplane was just fine, thank you very much! Sure, he already had several failed attempts under his belt, but...

"Why won't you listen to me?" She scurried in front of him, spreading her arms outward in an attempt to bring him to a halt. But, instead of even acknowledging her presence, he used his shoulder to nudge her aside, rather roughly. Stumbling back, Rukia was barely able to catch herself, nearly falling to the lush, green grass below their bare feet.

"Jerk!" she spat, her blood boiling. "Fine, make an idiot out of yourself again! See if I care! I'll just go let your mom know that you started bawling!" In truth, she had never seen him cry. Not at a nasty scraped knee, nor at a botched paper airplane. That didn't mean she couldn't bluff him into thinking she would make a false accusation, though. All she wanted to do was stop him, so he wouldn't get upset again. When that happened, he would be grumpy for days, barely talking to her, and even getting a little physical, like what he had just done a moment ago. Of course, she would never _actually _tell that kind of falsehood to people.

"Shut up," growled Renji, reaching the large, field-like clearing that hadn't yet been plowed flat by construction machines. Raising his arm up, he drew it back, paper airplane in hand, and then...he threw, a firm, followed-through motion. And...about a millisecond later, its nose turned downward, and the poor little thing fell straight to the ground. It didn't even spiral the slightest bit, telling any onlooker that the object possessed no aerodynamics what-so-ever.

"See!" called Rukia, with a satisfied smirk, though she was still angry at him. The tiny child triumphantly stomped up to her friend, who had fallen to his knees, and positioned herself in front of him, standing tall. "I told y-" she was cut off abruptly, as she saw moisture gathering in his eyes, his head bowed as his shoulders shook, his fists clenching tightly. Though Rukia knew it wasn't really her fault, she felt a lead weight in her gut for discouraging him, even though his behavior had not been without fault, either. Kneeling down to look at him, she gave a sad smile, leaning in for a hug, and feeling all her anger melt away as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Idiot..." she muttered, chin resting on his shoulder. "Stop crying, would you? You're making me go soft..." Through clenched teeth, he responded,

"I'm not crying." He said it defiantly, however, he didn't make any move to push her away. It was a lie, but, of course, what with the tough, macho image he thought he had, he couldn't very well admit to such a weak thing as crying. The very concept made Rukia giggle.

"Sure..." she said, but only somewhat sarcastically, as she didn't wish to upset him further. Releasing her hold, Rukia turned around and used her knees to walk to his failed creation, only a few feet away. Sitting fully, she picked the paper airplane up and examined it. Truly, it was horribly made. As she had pointed out to her best friend earlier, the wings were folded in too far, and, in his clumsiness, Renji had even managed to crumple the nose and the ends of the wings.

After setting the object down, Rukia lifted the hem of her shirt a bit, to retrieve a fresh, clean slip of paper from underneath it, which she had put there in order to keep it pristine and flat. She had planned on using it to make her own airplane, and show her redheaded friend up, but...the small girl began folding the paper without another thought, plan already formed in her head.

"What are you doing?" asked Renji as his eyebrows furrowed, still facing Rukia's back, and noticing her movement.

"Your plane got crumpled in the fall," she lied, not pausing in her motion. "I'm smoothing out the wrinkles. You must've thrown it wrong, because it actually looks like it should've flown really far, over the whole field." Another untruth, as he had made a perfect throw. Renji became even more confused at that statement, his eyebrow quirking.

"But...you said-"

"I was wrong." That was definitely the hardest part of the lie. "I just didn't get a good enough look at it, is all." And, once she had finished her sentence, her own airplane was finished. It was neat and perfect, with clean edges and folds, and straight wings. Subtly, she picked up his airplane, crumpling it and stuffing the paper in her pocket.

"Here," she said, turning to face him, and offering up the toy which Renji thought was his. He stood up, smiling, confidence renewed as he accepted the paper airplane. As Rukia had expected, Renji didn't have enough attention to detail to notice that it wasn't his. Repeating his earlier motions, the redhead threw the plane...and, it flew. It soared high over the sky, catching the light breeze, and both children continued watching until it was out of their sight.

"I was right!" beamed Renji, puffing out his chest to solidify his point, and looking down at his female friend with a cocky grin. But, the only emotion Rukia could bring herself to feel was joy.

"Yeah," she admitted, smiling warmly, "you were." She stood, taking his hand and proceeding to drag him home.

END

Aww, Rukia's so nice :) Hope you enjoyed! Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. All comments are appreciated and loved.


	6. Stray

A request done for RukiaGallega. Enjoy!

Stray

The first thing Hisana heard when she stepped out onto the front porch of her old home was the laughter of children. Now, the laughter of _one _child-her younger sister, Rukia, that was-she was used to. However, it was plainly obvious that there was another person accompanying her.

"Nee-san!" cried a small girl, who mirrored her sister's looks almost exactly. She ran up to her older sibling, while holding the hand of a young boy. "Can my new friend stay for dinner?" Rukia asked this while still gripping onto her buddy's hand, looking up at Hisana hopefully.

"Did his parents say it was alright?" asked Hisana with a laugh, looking at the young boy. He was about a head taller than Rukia, with red hair. He was dirty(to say the least), and both knees were scraped and scratched. As soon as she asked the question, the boy looked at the ground, pouting as he fidgeted a bit, using his big toe to draw pictures in the dirt. Immediately, due to his appearance and awkwardness, Hisana realized the situation.

"He can stay," announced the woman, and Rukia's face lit up, as did her friend's. She pulled him inside with a 'Come on, Renji!' The next thing Hisana knew, they were running through the hallway, their steps echoing softly off the walls.

"Tell him to bathe before dinner!" called the older sister, as she followed the kids into the house, closing the door securely. "After that, tell him I have some band aids for his knees!" She heard a faint 'Ok!' as a response from her sister.

Hisana shook her head. That Rukia...she would constantly drag home dogs and cats, but never had she brought home an orphaned boy. And, though Hisana had been forced to tell her younger sister that they were unable to keep the stray animals, she was feeling differently about this 'Renji.' After all, they did have a spare room...

END

Another one with them as kids :) Tite Kubo owns Bleach, and all comments are appreciate and loved.


	7. Strays Stick Together

Here's another drabble, hope you enjoy!

Strays Stick Together

Rukia laughed as the canine before her nuzzled her nose with its own, before licking her face all over.

"Aw, come on, Renji," she giggled, patting the dog's head affectionately. "Let's keep him." The city alley they were in was darkening by the minute, as the sunset on the horizon gradually disappeared. "He can protect us, and be a good little companion." Renji glanced at his lover from the corner of his eye, standing and leaning against the cold brick wall as she played with the animal on the ground.

"First of all, Rukia, we live in an apartment building. Second, he might have a disease," countered Renji. The pup was of an unidentifiable breed, obviously a mixed up mash of several different variations. "He might belong to someone." In truth, the man just didn't really want to put up with having to take care of a dog. Rukia gave him a look that said 'Really?', and pointed to the mutt's very visible ribs.

"You're seriously trying to telling me that this dog gets fed on a regular basis?" Before he could answer, she continued, "And you think he's sick? Look at him, he's a sweet little thing, and he's not shying away from me at all. If he wasn't well, he'd either be attacking us or running away with his tail between his legs. I haven't seen a single fly on him, either." And she stood up, lifting the medium-sized dog with her, holding him before her fiance's face. "Come on, you know you want him. He's adorable!" Renji raised an eyebrow, the animal's muzzle shoved in his face, and scowled a bit when its tongue reached out and swiped across his cheek.

"Rukia, I just-"

"Strays stick together," she said, suddenly, her demeanor quickly going serious. He knew what she was referring to. They had once been orphans on the street, abandoned, with no home, no food, and no love. But just like this pup, they had managed to make it through. Beaten, brused-maybe even scarred-but nowhere near broken. And with that thought in mind, Renji allowed a small, warm smile to spread the length of his face, as he took the small creature from his partner, holding it.

"Alright," he sighed, feigning reluctance, "you convinced me." He tried to fake a pouty attitude, but the laughter in his eyes signaled to Rukia that he was fooling around. She smiled, and grabbed his arm, leading him to their home.

END

Yay, more fluff! Tite Kubo owns Bleach, and as always, comments are loved and appreciated!


	8. Irony?

Does anybody remember me? Like, from back in the time when I actually updated and did oneshots? Man, I feel like a jerk for being so lazy...hope you guys like this.

Irony?

"Don't touch me!" cried the small woman, smacking his hand away from her face. She stared the redhead down with fire in her heart, her passion split between two opposing forces. The man simply chuckled, his smile growing as he took a step closer to her, though he refrained from trying to reach for her again.

"I've got you all figured out, you know," stated the tattooed male, another little snicker escaping his lips. "You want to hate me—you know that I'm an evil man, that I've done horrible things, that I deserve nothing but loathing from you...but it's impossible for you to feel hatred towards me—you love me, my dear." His smile widened more, showing his pearly whites as the girl's breathing became erratic, her heart beating at a wild pace as a scowl formed on her lips.

"Don't you dare try to say such a thing!" she spat, though she knew perfectly well that his words were the truth, that she couldn't help but love him no matter what he did or how she knew she was supposed to feel. It frustrated her to no end, made her want to scream aloud and punch the wall. He was a horrible man, he truly was...he had killed, robbed, taken everything from people who didn't deserve such treatment...but it was impossible for her to rid herself of her masochistic feelings.

"Tell me..." he said, raising his hand to take take her chin into his grasp, tilting her face upwards and staring down into her stunning orbs of violet. The raven-haired woman shook terribly, but held her ground, gritting her teeth as he gazed down at her expectantly. "I can see it in your eyes...your big, beautiful eyes. Just tell me...I'm certain you'll find that you'll feel much better afterwards." He leaned down then, his smile shrinking into a light purse as he kept his gaze on hers, his eyes boring a hole into her own. As he came closer, she found herself relaxing, her shaking gradually coming to a stop as the redhead leaned forward towards her, his destination obvious. Her scowl disappeared, her expression softening as she felt herself giving in to him, submitting to the undeniable influence he had over her.

"I-"

"And...cut!" Ichigo Kurosaki's voice rang out from his megaphone as he ended the scene. The two actors, though stopped from the surprise of Ichigo's intrusion, held their position, staring into the depths of each other's orbs, their lips centimeters from meeting.

"That was awesome, guys," said Ichigo, satisfied, as a smile graced his face. "A lot of passion. Good emotion. Renji, you're selling the sadistic tone perfectly. And Rukia, you're doing great showing the character's internal conflict. We'll take five and then proceed with the next scene. I think-" the young man was interrupted as the megaphone slipped out of his grasp, falling to the cement below.

"Damnit..." he cursed silently, standing from his chair so he could retrieve it. Upon standing once more, he turned to the cameraman, whose eyes had gone wide, a blush apparent on his cheeks. Ichigo quirked an eyebrow, curious as to what the problem was, before turning in the direction that his coworker was staring.

"What...what the hell!" he exclaimed, his reaction mirroring the cameraman's. Apparently, Renji and Rukia had gotten too immersed in the scene, because now they were kissing passionately in the middle of the set, shamelessly getting hot and heavy even as the workers surrounding them stared. Ichigo exhaled a breath which was something between a growl and a sigh, his palm meeting his forehead as he shook his head.

"You may as well start the camera," he said to the man beside him, making his way back to the chair. "We were planning a scene like this—may as well have it be the real thing." Even as he said this, the two lovebirds were oblivious, both too caught up in their moment to notice the director's exploitation of their shameless exhibitionism.

The film began rolling, and Ichigo simply sighed. _Idiots..._

END

I had fun with this :) I really love these two (OTP forever!), but it's so hard for me to get inspired lately...bleh...I hope I'm not too far-gone that no one recognizes my name. Hope you enjoyed. Comments and opinions are loved and appreciated.


	9. Together for Once

Well, I obviously haven't updated anything in a while (I currently hold to the status presented in my profile), but here I am with a little slice of RenRuki goodness. Enjoy!

Together for Once

The small woman ran, her legs working furiously to carry her away from the chaotic and blood-soaked scene she had caused just moments before. Sniper rifle tucked under her arm, she took the nearest opportunity she could and slipped into a small, dark alley to hide herself. Not yet ceasing her run, she gave herself a figurative pat on the back and silently cheered her own victory, her mind only halting when she barely noticed a figure nearly twice her size blocking the path between herself and the alleyway's exit. Rukia stopped short, reacting just in time to not ram head-on with the structure before her. Brief fear muddled with confusion absorbed her as she looked up, her eyes struggling to make out what she was seeing in the darkness of the thin street, before she finally recognized it as being...

"Renji?" she exclaimed, her curiosity growing tantamount to her confusion. "What the hell?" The raven-haired woman struggled to keep her voice quiet, though her fist itched to slam into the tall man's jaw.

"What, I'm not allowed to catch up with a friend I used to work with?" he asked innocently, though his wickedly playful grin betrayed his tone of voice, telling the female that he was teasing her for his amusement.

"The fact that the same organization just _happened _to employ both of us for a few months does _not _give you the right to _stalk_ me!" She made sure to keep herself guarded with this man, to seal her emotions inside herself so she didn't act on an impulse that she would regret later.

"Relax, I'm not stalkin' ya," assured the redhead, though he retained that roguish smile of his. "I tracked ya down for a reason."

"Which would be?" asked Rukia impatiently, her hands settling on her hips to show him this and, hopefully, to end the conversation more quickly.

"I have a proposition," he stated, his grin widening. "I want you to partner up with me." Rukia scoffed, nearly laughing at his statement.

"A two-person team of mercenaries, Renji? You're crazy." The small woman turned to leave, but a firm hand on her shoulder kept her firmly in place. She sighed. "If you hadn't noticed, I've just killed an ambassador, and there's a bunch of people running around like crazy looking for the person with the big gun." She lifted her own piece slightly to exemplify her point. "It's kind of important that I get away."

"Please, Rukia. None of them are going to crawl into this slimy alleyway looking for you. At the moment, they're all too panicked to be that right-minded." Rukia sighed once more as she internally recognized the truth of his statement. "Now hear me out, will ya?" Taking a deep breath, Rukia turned back around to face him, though her violet orbs were glaring him down with anger.

"You can try, but I'll say no," she assured him, crossing her arms as best she could while holding her large gun. Renji chuckled lightheartedly, obviously prepared to take on the challenge that was Rukia.

"Well, back when you and I were working together, I couldn't help but notice that you were a lone wolf whenever you could be," he began. "You preferred to work alone on missions, and whenever we would have parties at the barracks, you just sat in the corner ignoring all the fun. That surprised me—a pretty girl like you bein' a wallflower." Rukia rolled her eyes to his obvious attempt at flattery, though a small part of her couldn't help but bolster at the compliment. "I eventually figured it out, though," continued the tall man. "You grew up alone, being dragged around between orphanages and cruddy foster homes where no one cared about ya. Shitty food, shitty conditions—a shitty lifestyle overall." Rukia's eyes widened at his surprisingly accurate depiction of her upbringing, though that shock was quickly overcome by anger. Renji had hit a soft spot. Her fists tightened. Just as she was about to punch him with all her might, he said, "I know because it's the same boat I was in as a kid." Shock took over Rukia's being once more, expanding threefold from what it had been before.

"Wh...what?" Renji's smirk had dropped, reflecting his current seriousness as he placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

"I used to have the same attitude you do. I felt like, since I grew up alone, I could very well manage by myself. I didn't need anyone. It wasn't like anyone cared, anyway." Once again, Renji had hit the nail on the head, his description flawless. "But, one day, a lightbulb went off somewhere. I thought, 'If I was so miserable when I was alone as a kid, why the hell am I continuing that misery as an adult, when I can actually make friends and enjoy my life?' It seems simple, I know, but it took me awhile to realize it, and I want you to see it, too." Rukia's eyebrow raised, as she considered his assertion.

"And what exactly are you getting out of this?" Renji's smirk renewed itself.

"Why, only a skilled partner and a beautiful lady companion who can compliment my devastatingly handsome features." Rukia gave him another incredulous look.

"And how do I know that you're not just trying to get me in the sack? With all the flirting you're doing, I wouldn't put it past you." Renji chuckled, loving that her tongue and wit were just as sharp as his.

"Although I know that, as a mercenary, my honor is pretty questionable, I'm asking you to believe me when I say that I see much more in you than a one-night stand. Though, I'm not gonna lie when I say that I _do_, in fact, view you in a romantic light. But, that's beside the fact. Neither of us has to be lonely anymore, Rukia." He was blatant, which surprised the small girl, but Rukia figured that someone who was only trying to get a night of sex out of her wouldn't be so straight-up about his feelings of affection. His proposal moved to the front of her mind again, and she couldn't help but have butterflies in her stomach when she thought of spending so much time around the admittedly good-looking and admirable man. Maybe...maybe being alone wasn't her only option. She sighed despite herself.

"If I accept, it's not permanent. I can leave anytime I want, and you will _not _pester me about romantic matters." She made the last statement despite the fact that her own feelings for the man were bubbling up inside of her.

"Is that a yes, then?" he asked, though he knew that it was.

"If you accept my conditions." Renji let out a laugh, once again reminded of her wonderful wit.

"Of course."

"Then yes," answered the smaller one, removing the taller one's hands from her body. "Don't expect anything, though." Renji's smile split wider, his mind already concocting ways in which he could woo the raven-haired beauty. This would surely be a great experience for both of them.

END

What do you guys think? Feedback is much appreciated :) Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo, and any and all comments are loved.


End file.
